MARGUERITE OF ANGOULÊME.

3 volumes in-8. 19th-century navy blue morocco, spine ribbed and decorated with a gold dotted pattern, title, volume number, place and date in gold, a fleur-de-lis in a medallion at the centre of the panels bordered by ironwork and a double gilt line, all in gold, covers framed by a triple gilt fillet, gilt crowned letter M in the spandrels, gilt coat of arms of Marguerite de Navarre embossed in the centre of the covers, gilt double fillet with cut-out sections, guilloché caps, gilt inner lace, gilt edges on marbled paper [Chambolle Duru] (spine very slightly faded, discreet tear on one cap; light halo in the margin on pp. 186–85, vol. 1; traces of old stamps scraped off the half-titles, titles and final pages).

Swiss edition of Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron, a collection of 72 short stories she composed whilst in seclusion from court. A fine illustrated edition featuring a frontispiece engraved by Eichler after Dunker, repeated in each volume, with 73 plates placed before the preface and before each short story, engraved on steel by Guttenberg, Halbou, Henriquez, de Launay the Younger, de Longueil... after Sigmund Freudeberg, and 72 headpieces and 72 tailpieces by Dunker, engraved by himself, Eichler, Pillet and Richter. Printed on heavy laid paper, with wide margins (h 190 mm).